The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of December 2006, otherwise known as Postal Reform (PR), has resulted in numerous changes in the way that delivery service is provided for mailpieces/parcels across the United States. In addition to the privatization of certain functions, Postal Reform has resulted in various changes in the way that mail/parcels are delivered including the delivery schedule, the number of days that service is provided, where a mailpiece/parcel will/will not be delivered, e.g., delivery may only be provided to a local post office box rather than to a specific address in rural locations, and the cost charged for delivery services.
With respect to the latter, PR has resulted in one rather significant adjustment in the way the postage rates are applied. Whereas, in the past, the cost of delivery services was based strictly on weight, more recently, PR has introduced a rate structure based upon both the weight and size of a mailpiece/parcel. In accordance with the new rate structure, the cost of mailing a conventional type-ten (10) envelope may be based upon weight, whereas, the cost of mailing a parcel may be based upon both weight and volume or size. Even more recently, the postal service has introduced a system wherein the delivery cost is based strictly on the volume of a particular delivery item. According to a popular television advertisement, “If the item fits”, i.e., within one of four size boxes, the “then, we'll ship” for a standard rate regardless of weight. As a result, a customer is encouraged to know, or estimate the size of, an article for shipping to minimize cost.
In view of the lack of readily available volumetric estimates concerning the size of an article, a customer must become intimately familiar with the “break-points” associated with the length, width and/or height/depth of an article to accurately evaluate the delivery cost of an item. Generally, this is performed by: (i) acquiring a familiarity of the dimensions associated with each of the standardized containers and (ii) measuring, i.e., with a conventional ruler, the dimensions of an item to be shipped, to obtain an estimate of the shipping costs. Furthermore, due to the frequency of regulatory changes, a customer cannot rely upon historical/dated information, but must constantly acquire current data to ensure that adequate postage has been applied for shipping purposes.
A need, therefore, exists for system and method which facilitates dimensional rating of a mailpiece/parcel, and, more particularly, to a system and method for accurately and conveniently measuring the length/volume of an article to determine the postage requirements for delivery.